The Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming is defined as the completion of the English Channel, the Catalina Channel and the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim.
36 people to date have successfully completed a Triple Crown, some within a year.
But just as the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing can be defined differently, there are alternative definitions for different Triple Crowns in the open water.
The American Triple Crown is the Catalina Channel, Manhattan Island and the Tampa Bay Marathon Swim.
The Irish Triple Crown is the Irish Channel, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Kiwi Triple Crown is the Cook Strait, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Southern California Triple Crown is one of the Santa Barbara Channels, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Northern California Triple Crown is a swim between the Farallones Islands and San Francisco, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Hawaiian Triple Crown is one of the Hawaiian Island Channels (e.g., Molokai Channel), the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Japanese Triple Crown is the Tsugaru Channel, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The African Triple Crown is the Strait of Gibraltar, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Australian Triple Crown is the Rottnest Channel, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Argentinian Triple Crown is the Maratón Internacional Hernandarias – Parana, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Italian Triple Crown is the Maratona del Golfo Capri-Napoli, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Canadian Triple Crown is the Traversée Internationale du lac St-Jean, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
Another Canadian Triple Crown is the Lake Ontario crossing, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The South African Triple Crown is the Cape Town Swim-to-False Bay, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Macedonian Triple Crown is the Ohrid Lake Swimming Marathon, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Greek Triple Crown is the Messinian Gulf Swimming Marathon, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Swiss Triple Crown is the International Self-Transcendence Marathon Swim, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Isle Triple Crown is the Isle of Jersey circumnavigation, the Isle of Man and the Isle of Wight circumnavigation.
The Russian Triple Crown is the St. Petersburg to Kotlin Island swim, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Florida Triple Crown is the Tampa Bay Marathon Swim, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Dutch Triple Crown is the Ijseelmeerzwemmarathon, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Peruvian Triple Crown is the Travesia En Aguas Abiertas Por la Ruta de Olaya, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Danish Triple Crown is the Beltquerung solo, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Croatian Triple Crown is the Faros Marathon Swim, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Hong Kong Triple Crown is the Clean Half Marathon Swim Solo, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
The Alaskan Triple Crown is the Pennock Island Challenge Solo, the English Channel and the Catalina Channel.
But the traditional Triple Crown is and will remain the English Channel, the Catalina Channel and the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim as its component swims.
That is over 70 miles of swimming any way you look at it.
Upper photo of Christopher Robert’s Catalina Channel crossing.
Copyright © 2010 by Steven Munatones